


Neo-Danganronpa: Discorded Voyage

by SoulfulGingerBrian



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Author is a Lazy Bastard, Character Death, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Depends, Gen, Originally Posted on deviantART, Rating May Change, Slow Update Scedule, Swearing, Unoriginal Idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-03-27 04:04:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13872729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulfulGingerBrian/pseuds/SoulfulGingerBrian
Summary: The last thing Yakumo Yukimura expected when she accepted the offer to be a part of the Ultimate Project's "Semester at Sea" program was being stranded in the middle of the ocean and forced to be a part of an animatronic teddy bear's Killing Game. Can Yakumo and her classmates find a way to escape the cruise or are they doomed to death and despair...?





	1. Prologue- Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins, what is probably my most ambitious story ever! I really hope you enjoy it and wow, do I sound desperate, lol. 
> 
> Keep in mind that this story is an AU, not set in either the Hope's Peak or V3 timelines. It's a completely independant story, set in its own world. I may draw an inspiration/ make a reference or two from canon, but there is no direct connection to the actual series. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This work is a non-profit fan-based work of fiction. The Danganronpa series and all related materials are owned by Kazutaka Kodaka and Spike Chunsoft, neither of which I'm affiliated with. All I own are the sixteen OCs introduced in the story. Please support the officail release.

...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
... Darkness. For the longest time that was all I could see. Pure, pitch-black darkness. Not unlike the kind you see when you enter a room without any lights in the dead of night. A void that resembled an empty vacuum with only myself as an occupant. And God, when did I start talking like a rank-amateur poet?   
  
Eventually, the darkness started to slink away and vision returned to me. I found myself in what appeared to be a small bedroom. It looked normal enough, though could they have sprung for a better color scheme than light gray and darker blue? The sheets, the paintjob, the dresser, all such drab colors! And when  _I_  think something looks too depressing, you know there's a problem! I got out of the bed I was lying in and saw a note on top of the dresser addressed to a Ms. Yakumo Yukimura, A.K.A.: Me. Picking up the note, I had started to piece together what was going on, sort of.   
  
_"Dear Miss Yukimura, we at the Ultimate Project welcome you on your first day at our "Semester at Sea Program". We sincerely hope that you and your classmates all work together and strive forward to help build a brighter future for not only yourselves, but for the whole world! Your orientation will begin at 9:00 AM sharp, so please be on time. Again, we wish you all the greatest luck._  
  
_Sincerely,_  
_The Ultimate Project"_  
  
Now I remembered. That stupid program my loving mother and father were oh-so-kind to sign me up for without even so much as a word of my own say. Because I clearly wanted nothing more than to spend the next three months with a bunch of stupid fakes with arbitrary titles given to them by a group of suits that wanted to use us all to make their wallets larger. Unfortunately, I didn't get much of a choice in the matter.  _"When are you ever going to get a chance like this again?" "You're so smart and talented, honey, this would be such a great opportunity for you!" "Think of all the things you could learn, the people you'd meet!"_ And this crap about working together and building a future for the world? Pass. People at their core are just terrible, why should I bother trying to help them? Sorry, is that too mean for you to hear? Well, too bad! It's how I feel and I don't see why that should change.   
  
Anyway, about this "Semester at Sea" thing, it's pretty self-explanatory: For the next three months, a small number of teenagers from across the country- including yours truly- will be spending the next three months on a cruise around the southern regions of the continent, harnessing the "Ultimate Talents" that the Project assigned to us. Extraordinary talents that we high-schoolers possess and have a huge future in. As for me? I wouldn't call it a talent moreso a hobby, not even a particularly good one. It was around junior high, still adjusting to how horrid the world and the people around it were when I bumped into this teacher who was holding tryouts for the debate team. A chance to properly articulate my thoughts on how certain things sucked and getting to show up any phonies? Where was this club all my life? So, I tried out and everyone was so wowed, I got in. Don't know why because when I look back at my thesis, I can only cringe. Still, it got me out of the house and gave me something to do, so I kept at it, even at high school, winning debate after debate for my team (by which I mean myself. I could give a crap about my "teammates".) and by the end of Freshman Year was the first non-Senior to become "Captain". This caught the Project's attention and sent me an invitation to the Program as the Ultimate Debater. Such an inspiring story, isn't it? Would make a for a nice feel-good TV movie, if I do say so myself.   
  
As for my condition that I woke up in? I do remember that the flight to where the boat I'd be calling "school" wasn't that long, but the drive in the rent-a-car to the dock certainly was. Isn't it great to have an airport and a seaport be on opposite sides of the city? I mean, what an amazing layout, perfectly constructed to be as difficult as possible for everybody! It was late at night when we arrived and by that point, most everyone was already inside the boat. And after I took in the sheer size of the thing, I started to feel a bit, dare I say it, nervous. Then suddenly, Mom comes from behind and grabs me in this big hug and Dad starts to join in too and I'm feeling so embarrassed and annoyed and wasn't crying at all, I'll kill whoever says I did.   
  
_"We're so proud of you, you know that?"_  
  
"Whatever else happens, Yakumo, we love you and we really do want you to be happy."  
  
As I boarded the boat, I took one last look at my parents, smiling at me with tears in their eyes. A part of me genuinely thought for a moment that they were sad to see me off, but I quickly remembered that I knew better than that. They were glad to see me off, to be rid of their miserable shame of a daughter, if just for a little while. I waved back and tried to hide the tears from my eyes as I entered my temporary new home. And after that, all I can remember is... darkness.   
  
This cruise, this "Ultimate Semester" or whatever, what could I possibly have to look forward to? I didn't want to be there to begin with, and now I'm gonna be stuck in a boat with a bunch of strangers, these alleged elite students. I'm so out of my depth that it isn't even funny, I thought.   
  
Little did I know...  
  
... that I would soon be wishing for those thoughts to be the most of my worries...

 

**.....................................................................  
**

**PROLOGUE: Setting Sail for Ultimate Despair**

**......................................................................**

  
Getting back on topic, I took a look at the clock nearby my dresser and it read 8:15. I must've passed out as soon as I got in the bedroom last night. With 45 minutes before orientation, I figured that I'd better get a move on. There was a map of the cruise liner, at least the floor I was on. I was in the living quarters and the main deck was upstairs, conveniently enough. I went to the bathroom to... well y'know and gave myself a once-over to see if I looked presentable. Not that I'm trying to impress anybody, I just don't want to look like an idiot. I grabbed some clothes from my bag and when I was done dressing, looked over myself again. Normal white shirt under my navy blue school hoodie, Budogaoka High School's name across the chest in gold lettering. My lower half consisted of faded blue jeans with no belt and black shoes and my hair was done up in a messy ponytail with that one elusive bang sticking out making me look like the protagonist of one of my cousins' dumb Visual Novels.   
  
Checking the clock, I saw that I was going to be running late, so I grabbed the map and orientation letter and walked out the door. Just then, the worst possible thing that could've happened well, happened.   
  
"Argh!" I shouted as I was knocked down to the ground. I turned and glared at the perpetrator, a blonde girl in a red-and-white cheerleader outfit and white boots who was also on the floor. "There's these things on your head called "eyes", perhaps you could use them once in a while?" I scolded.   
  
Cheerleader Girl's blue eyes went wide and she blushed in embarrassment. "S-Sorry!" she said, smiling nervously, doing that thing where somebody rubs the back of their head nervously that I thought only existed in stuff like anime. "I woke up pretty late and I remembered that orientation was starting soon so I kinda rushed right out the door and I wasn't paying attention-"  
  
There was only so much rambling I could take and if she was so concerned about being late then why was she talking my ear off? "Look, it's fine," I said, dusting myself off. "We're going to be late if we just stand around here. Let's just get going."  
  
"Okay!" she chirped as we walked together. "Sooooo, what's your name? Oh wait, I should probably introduce myself first, huh? Typical blonde moment, right? My name is Hikari Kuromine, and I happen to be the Ultimate Cheerleader, if the uniform didn't give it away! Hehehe..."  
  


**............................................................  
Hikari Kuromine- Ultimate Cheerleader  
.............................................................**

  
Realizing that by introducing herself, I'd have to do the same. What a pain... "Yakumo Yukimura, Ultimate Debater." I'm not one for small talk to begin with, combine that with Sunshine over here, and I'm doubly annoyed. 

 

**..........................................................**

**Yakumo Yukimura- Ultimate Debater  
...........................................................**

  
Hikari giggled. "That's a cool name you've got, Kumo! And your title sounds pretty neat too!" Did she just call me "Kumo"? Great, a nicknamer. Because those are always a joy to be around. I shook it off, it was too early in the day to deal with this nonsense. Thankfully, Hikari could pick up that I wasn't in a talkative mood and we walked in silence for the rest of the way.   
  
After a few minutes, we had finally arrived on the main deck of the ship and came face-to-face with...  
  
"We've got a live one, two actually!" I heard a voice say, presumably a male's. In front of Hikari and me were fourteen other teenagers, the other Ultimate Students.   
  
"Just barely on time," a girl muttered. I looked at the clock and saw that it was only a few minutes to nine. Talk about cutting it close...  
  
"So, counting them, we're at sixteen," said a boy as he did a headcount. "Bit of a small number, all things considered." He wasn't wrong, if I'm to be honest. I knew that this would be a small class, but I didn't think it'd be  _this_  small. Plus, there was no sign of any adults, no teachers, deckhands or anything. Just us sixteen kids. That... was a tad worrying. I pushed that thought in the back of my mind, thinking that this might've been part of the procedure here. I mean, there was a couple tables and seats in front of us, so obviously we were expected, at least somebody was.   
  
"Hey, did you guys run into anybody else while coming here?" asked somebody.  
  
"We came straight from our rooms, so no," I shrugged. Had I known this would be the situation however, I'd have kept an eye out. Not that I care, it's just that it's a pain having to wait for somebody to show up.  
  
"And the only one I ran into was Kumo!" Hikari chirped, much to my annoyance.   
  
"That doesn't disprove anything, however," someone pointed out.   
  
"Well, maybe they're just running a bit late?" Hikari suggested. "Anyway, I'm Hikari Kuromine and she's Yakumo Yukimura. And while we're waiting for everyone else, why don't we all go around and introduce ourselves?"  
  
"Not a bad idea," nodded a boy who turned from looking out into the ocean. It was then that I had noticed that we were already out to sea. I really must've been tired last night if I forgot about that detail.   
  
"Yeah," agreed another student. "I mean, we are classmates, right? So we should at least get to know each other a little." He turned to me and it was then I has noticed how physically large he was. I'm not one to be intimidated by some hulking meathead, but I made a mental note to not do anything to upset him. His type doesn't particularly care about how weak their targets are. "You said your name was Yakumo, right? I'm Asahi. Asahi Endo, that is. The Ultimate Judo Practitioner."  
  


**.............................................................  
Asahi Endo- Ultimate Judo Practitioner  
.............................................................**

  
Asahi definitely looked the part of a Judo Practitioner (and  _that's_ a sentence I'd never thought I'd say) with his neat white uniform complete with black belt and bare feet. His hair was cut short and colored brown, his skin was a decent tan and most notably, his eyes were a pale gray, the same color as his glasses. "How're you doing today?" he asked, in a more polite tone than I thought he'd have.   
  
I shrugged. "Can't complain." Yet. "I'm just waiting for orientation to start."  
  
Asahi's face suddenly turned serious. and he put a fist to his chest. "Don't blame you. You're lucky to have only just got here, because I was one of the first to show up. A whole hour early, actually."  
  
"A whole hour?" I asked in disbelief. Hikari seemed to be just as surprised, her twintails almost standing up in shock that someone could possibly have a sense of punctuality.  _Though it's not that you have room to judge, Ms Pickoutclothesfortenminutes,_  I self-deprecated.   
  
Asahi nodded. "To kill time, I did my morning set of stretches, but after that was done, I didn't have anything else to do. I wanted to check around the area, but I got stopped by-"  
  
"By me!" said a girl, the one who got snarky at me for almost being late. And wow, didn't we look like the model student? Long black hair going straight down, school uniform neatly pressed and worn with tie straight and skirt just reaching over the knee. The black armband that matched that tacky sweater vest was a dead giveaway as to why she'd be so anal about that- Public Morals. "There was no possible way that I would allow you to wander off and do as you pleased," she scolded. "If you'd left, there would be no guarantee you'd return on time, especially on such a large ship.  
  
"I invited you to come along with me..." Asahi insisted.   
  
"That's besides the point." It was then that she realized Hikari and I were standing right in front of her. Giving a bow, she said, "My apologies, classmates! I had forgotten I was speaking in front of you for a moment. I shall introduce myself now as penance! My name is Nana Ichimonji and I was granted the honor of being the Ultimate Moral Compass! I look very forward to working alongside you in our academic pursuits!"   
  


**................................................................**

**Nana Ichimonji- Ultimate Moral Compass  
.................................................................**

  
_Ultimate "Moral Compass", seriously?_  I thought to myself. Just how more pretentious can a title get?  
  
"And now, Classmates Yukimura and Kuromine," Nana loudly addressed, "you will explain the reasoning behind your tardiness!"  
  
"But we got here on time," Hikari tried to point out. I inwardly felt a bit (only a bit) sad for her. She definitely wasn't used to this type of person. Not that I'm a bad student, but the ones back home really hate it when you mouth off to them, intentionally or otherwise. And Nana was all too willing to prove the same. Her already dark eyes grew darker at the meek attempt at backtalk.  
  
"Don't try and play semantics! You should always arrive early to a destination to avoid moments such as these!"  
  
"B-But I didn't mean too, honest! I just overslept is all!"  
  
"Your poor sleeping habits are your own fault!" Nana scoffed. "Do not try and use them as an excuse! You should consider yourself fortunate that there are currently no authority figures in the vicinity to properly discipline you!" She turned to me and gave me the same look. I returned it. "The same to you, Yukimura! You'd do well to not make these things a habit!"  
  
"Hey, could you just not?" asked a boy. Nana turned and glared at the interloper, who brushed his shaggy black hair from his green eyes. He was probably the most normally-dressed of us, wearing a black T-shirt with olive jeans and white sneakers. "People sleep in late sometimes. It happens. Everyone's done it at least once, so what's the damage?"  
  
"The "damage", as you so crudely put it, is that they are old enough to know better than to strut in just before the pre-approved time!" Nana said. Jeez, what a pain she's turning out to be... and my expectations weren't that high to begin with. I am so not looking forward to three months of dealing with this. "Furthermore, just who are you anyway?"  
  
He smirked. "Goro Otomaru's the name, guitar playing's my game. Ultimate guitar playing in fact."  
  
"So you're..." Hikari hesitantly began and I had to resist slapping my forehead.   
  
"The Ultimate Guitar Player, yes," Goro nodded, not seeming to care at all about Hikari's slowness.  
  


**...........................................................**  
**Goro Otomaru- Ultimate Guitar Player**  
**............................................................**

"And for what it's worth, the tardy ones being a pair of cute chicks is just fine by me," he lazily smirked, thinking that line so clever. 

"Oh, um, thank you?" Hikari unsurely replied, not sure of what to say. I on the other hand...

"Sorry, I don't date outside my own species." Maybe I could've worded that a with a bit more tact,  but with these guys, sending the message quickly is the key. 

"That's cool," Goro nodded, not fazed at all by the insult it seemed. "So, either of you ladies like rock music? 'Cuz I'd gladly play a song to pass the time if you want?"

"With what instrument?" I pointed out. "I'd assume the Ultimate Guitar Player would have his guitar on him at all times."

"Nah, Mio and my gear's in my room," he admitted. "I meant with my- Hey, what the!?" Goro fished his pockets, but they were empty. 

"Ah, weak! My phone's gone! How'd that happen!?"

"Say what you mean, Mr. Otomaru! I do not follow what you are trying to say!" Nana demanded. 

"I had these pants on last night, and my phone was in them when I went to bed." Okay, ew. 

"Oh, that reminds me!" Hikari gasped. "Kumo, do you have your phone on you? 'Cuz when I woke up this morning, I couldn't find mine anywhere."

"I last had it in my bag," I admitted. Soon enough, everyone started to realize that their cellphones and other electronics were missing.

"This is just getting weird..." Asahi mumbled and I couldn't help but agree with him.

"Interesting, interesting...," said a girl, whose appearance may have been the most out-there of anyone I've ever met. Her blue hair was long and flowed to her mid-back, her eyes bright red and her skin pale. Her blouse was white, her blazer black and her tie red. Her skirt was gray as well as her thigh-highs with white flats. "Whatever spirit is behind this mustn't be one for the more advanced forms of communication. Fortunately, I have the tools needed to counter this inconvenience."

"I'm sorry.... what?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. 

"Oh yes, you are unaware of whom I am. My apologies," she said as she bowed her head. "I happen to be one Reika Ayanuma. I have the happen to have been given the title of Ultimate Paranormal Researcher, thanks to my tireless efforts in investigating the spirits that inhabit our world." She said this all without a trace of sarcasm; not one word did not sound serious.   


**.............................................................................**

 **Reika Ayanuma- Ultimate Paranormal Researcher**

 **..............................................................................**

I had no words. I really did not know how to respond to any of what I was hearing. 

"Oh, you study ghosts! That's cool!" Hikari complimented.

 _Don't encourage her!_  I mentally shouted. 

"I do not merely "study ghosts" as you put it," Reika dismissed, indignant at the choice of words. "I devote myself fully to researching the metaphysical world, and work my hardest to-"

"Sounds an awful like studying ghosts to me," Goro pointed out. Reika looked even more indignant and looked ready to go off on him. Thanks, guy, I totally wanted to hear her rant.

"Hey, lay off," Asahi spoke up. "Can't you see you're upsetting her?"

"Oh sorry," Hikari blushed. "Didn't mean to make you mad."

"I suppose I can forgive you this once," Reika cooly responded. "But do not make this mistake again!" 

"Duly noted," I drawled. 

Deciding I had enough of standing around this particular area, I tried moving to a new location. My destination: The edge of the ship. Unfortunately, it seemed I wasn't alone. 

"Hey there," said a boy with blue eyes. His hair was black and spiky, cut short. He wore a green short-sleeved shirt over a navy long-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans and white sneakers with black stripes. "How you holding up?"

"Fine," I curtly replied, trying to get the message of "leave me alone" across. Unfortunately, he was either stupid or deaf. Maybe both.

"So you're Yakumo, right?" he asked. "Nice to meet you. Tetsuya Arai's the name."

"And what about your talent?" I asked. Not that I particularly cared to ask, but everyone else so far's given me theirs, so might as well continue the pattern. The look on his face after I asked however, told me a different story.

"My... talent?" Tetsuya asked, looking pretty reluctant. "Um, about that..."

"Yeah, I just remembered something. I don't care." If he didn't want to tell me, then whatever. Fine by me. 

**.........................................**  
**Tetsuya Arai- Ultimate ???**  
**..........................................**

I turned my back to Tetsuya, and came face-to-face with another person. This one was a pink-haired girl, curly ponytail reaching down to her waist and chocolate-colored eyes. She wore a blue collared shirt and pink skirt with a white apron. Her shoes were pink and her socks were blue. 

"You know, you didn't have to be so rude," she said. 

"What's it to you?" I asked, not in the mood for a lecture, least of all by a complete stranger. 

The girl froze up for a moment. "Um well, it's just... It's not nice is what it is!" 

"And who are you to tell me what's nice and what's not?" I asked, getting fed up with this conversation. I already get enough lectures about my attitude back home, I don't need that crap here too!

"Oh, um, I'm Ichigo," she introduced herself. "Ichigo Kitano. The Ultimate Baker, as it would seem."

**..............................................**

 **Ichigo Kitano- Ultimate Baker**  
**...............................................**

"Alright, but that doesn't answer my question," I replied. 

"Well, you see..."

"Nah, it's fine," Tetsuya cut in. "She's probably just confused as to what's goin' on right now. Can't say I blame her." Okay, was this guy defending me just now? After giving him the cold shoulder? Weirdo. 

"If you say so..." Ichigo hesitantly relented. She started rubbing her arm, some kind of nervous tell, I assume. "Um, if you're feeling up to it, maybe I can bake something for you later- Yakumo, was it? Sweets always make me feel better, though don't count on mine being that great or anything..." 

 _What kind of Ultimate Baker has so little confidence in themselves like that?_ I couldn't help but think to myself as I found myself introduced to another classmate. 

He was tall, probably the tallest of the entire group of students. His hair was blue and cut neatly, reaching his ears, making an interesting contrast with his tanned skin. His eyes were green, framed by black glasses and wore a crimson dress shirt with a white tie, black slacks and brown shoes. 

" _Guten tag_ \- um, that's "Good day" in German, in case you didn't know," he greeted in a surprisingly goofy voice. "My name is Guy Higashikata and I am the Ultimate Foreign Exchange Student. A pleasure to meet you, fellow classmate!"

**..................................................................................**  
**Guy Higashikata- Ultimate Foreign Exchange Student**  
**...................................................................................**

"Ultimate... Foreign Exchange Student?" I dumbly repeated. I couldn't help it, though! 

" _Corretto!_ " Guy cheerfully said. "I've been a student in over a dozen different countries across the world, pretty  _interessant_ , no?"

"I guess so..." I said, trying to keep up with this. A dozen countries? That couldn't be legit... could it?

"If you ever want to learn more about the exciting and amazing world around us, just come to me!" Guy proudly declared, putting a hand to his hip dramatically. 

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind..."  _You crazy weirdo..._

After talking to Guy, I looked out to the sea and saw the deep ocean surrounding the boat,casting far as the eye could see, probably even beyond that. With the morning light reflecting it, I couldn't help but find it mesmerizing. 

"Looks pretty, doesn't it?" asked a voice. I turned to see that it belonged to a chubby-looking boy, dressed in a white shirt with black cardigan, khaki pants and black shoes and had a one-strap gray backpack around his shoulder. His face looked like something very doughy and made him look rather creepy. 

"And you are...?" I asked.

"Yuji Matsumoto," he greeted, bowing his head slightly. "Ultimate Masseuse as it would seem." Okay, this guy? A masseuse? Good grief, whatever I did to get trolled this badly, I'm mostly sorry for it!

**........................................................  
Yuji Matsumoto- Ultimate Masseuse  
........................................................**

  
"I understand your skepticism, you're far from the first to doubt my profession," Yuji continued, seemingly managing to read my mind. "But I am what I say I am. I'm not a liar, that you can be certain."

"Everyone lies about something," I dryly replied. 

"You seem... rather tense," Yuji noted. 

"So? It's a weird situation. Sue me for being a little on-edge." I was not about to let this guy get the better of me. 

"I apologize if I offended," he humbly bowed his head, which made me internally cringe. "I was only making an observation. ... If you ever wish to well,  _relieve_ that tension of yours-"

I cut him off with a slap. Okay, I'm not sure if he was really that perverted or not, but there's just some things you don't say out loud.

"A "no" would have sufficed," Yuji drawled as I moved away from him as quickly as I could. 

As I moved, I bumped into yet another person; this seemed to be happening a lot with me today. As I apologized, the abnormally tall girl that I bumped into just stared at me with a blank expression. Her hair was dark, cut into a neat bob, which was complimented by her icy blue eyes and unusually-sharp-for-a-girl facial features. She wore a plain white blouse with a khaki skirt and black flats with white socks. 

"..." I could feel that this conversation was off to a most riveting start already. "... Tsu...baki. My name... is Tsubaki. Tsubaki Iwata," she forced out in a deep and scratchy voice, which implied a severe case of disuse, at least to me. "I... I'm the Ulti...mate Florist..."

**................................................**  
**Tsubaki Iwata- Ultimate Florist**  
**.................................................**

Tsubaki's odd voice and features were somewhat starting to creep me out, in all honesty. She doesn't seem like a bad person, and it is pretty shallow of me to say, but I'm nothing if not honest. 

"You...re the first..." she mumbled. "First one to... talk to me." Okay, that's pretty messed up, but what do you expect? Nobody wants to talk to someone who doesn't fit their standard of physicality in this looks-obsessed world of ours.  _Even you,_  remarked my internal voice. 

"Thank you..." she said, her face never changing from that neutral expression of hers. I nodded and went on my way. 

I tried heading towards the starboard side (that's left, right? I'm not that familiar with nautical terms) and saw five more people there. I internally sighed.  _Might as well,_ I thought. I saw a girl standing away from them and realized a kindred spirit of sorts. I decided to start with her, just to get a move on.

"Um, hey," I awkwardly greeted to her. She looked up at me with her wide bespectacled eyes nervously. Her hair was blue, reaching her bottom, matching her eyes and glasses frames. Her skin was paler than most, almost making me think she was one of Reika's "spirits". She wore a light blue turtleneck with a black cardigan, black leggings and blue shoes. 

"H-Hello..." she quietly said, in a mousy voice that I almost couldn't make out. "I-I'm Hijiri Uehara and um, I'm... the Ultimate Librarian. Um, it's n-nice to meet you."

**..................................................**  
**Hijiri Uehara- Ultimate Librarian**  
**...................................................**

"Yeah, you too, I guess," I mumbled in return.  _Librarian, her? Aren't they supposed to be more... older?_  Eh, not my problem. 

"Um... uh..." Hijiri blushed as she tried to say something aloud. 

"Yeah, go on. Use your words," I couldn't help but snark. 

"Oh!" she jumped. "I-I'm sorry, but um, sorry if this is too forward, but um, have we met before?" This actually got me confused. I'm certain that if I knew any of these yahoos beforehand, I'd remember them. "Be-because you just seem so familiar..."

"No, I've never met any of you before," I shook my head. This seemed to disappoint her. 

"Oh, um, I'm sorry..."  _You know you don't need to apologize for anything, right?_  I thought as I turned away from her. 

Next up was this boy in a brown longcoat and black shirt with worn jeans and brown boots. On his head were a pair of goggles and he had a pair of fingerless gloves on his hands. 

"Good morning," he widely smiled. "I'm Kyohei Ishida, the Ultimate Repairman of Ishida and Son's Repair Shop."

**......................................................**  
**Kyohei Ishida- Ultimate Repairman**  
**.......................................................**

These titles were really starting to get weird. Isn't this guy supposed to be a high-schooler? 

"Is everything okay?" Kyokei asked me. I answered in the affirmative. 

"That's good. I mean, I'm not a doctor or anything, so I guess that well, you know..."

"No, I don't know," I dryly remarked. 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "if you need anything, just look for me. I'm pretty good at making stuff and uh..."

"Sure, whatever," I rolled my eyes as I walked away from him. 

Person #3 was a girl wearing a lilac sleeveless dress and black heels. Her hair was black and her eyes were red. She looked at me almost boredly. "I assume this is the part where you and I introduce ourselves? Well, get on with it. I've little time to waste, especially on the likes of you."

 _Well, screw you too._  "I'm Yakumo, the Ultimate Debater. And whom might be you, Your Majesty?" 

She haughtily turned her head up, refusing to look me in the eye. "I am Shoko Ryugami, the Ultimate Thespian. You do know what that is, don't you? I'm guessing not. After all, most plebeians these days are unaware of the dying art that is the theater."

**.......................................................**  
**Shoko Ryugami- Ultimate Thespian**  
**.......................................................**

_Theater, a dying art? I mean, yeah it's not as popular as it used to be, but I'm pretty sure it's still alive and well._  But something tells me, if I vocalized that, I'd get the earful of the century. 

"I know what it means," I said, not letting her attitude faze me. "But shockingly enough, I don't care."

"Just like how nobody cares for your pathetic and useless talent, I'm assuming?" Shoko bit back, which shocked me a bit. I'm not used to being on the receiving end of the snarky retorts.

"Kay, I'm hitting the emergency exit of this conversation. Later," I remarked, as I clenched my fist behind my back. Shoko smirked, apparently happy that she managed to get under my skin. Bitch.

I walked over to the next person, who was a boy wearing a neat-looking black tuxedo with red bowtie and black shoes. 

"Ah, good day, Miss," he said, bowing deeply to me. He straightened up and gave a small smile as he introduced himself. "You would be Miss Yakumo Yukimura, correct? I am Ito Aizawa, the Ultimate Butler. If you ever require my services, do not hesitate to say so. I would be happy to help you as well as all of our fellow classmates."

**...........................................**  
**Ito Aizawa- Ultimate Butler**  
**...........................................**

Okay, I'm not gonna bother commenting on the whole "butler" thing. I've come to realize that these "Ultimate" things are pretty stupid and arbitrary. 

"Are you alright, Miss Yakumo?" Ito asked me. "I could not help but overhear your discussion with Miss Shoko and-"

"It's fine, really," I asked. "If I got worked up over every jerk I've met, I'd have gone gray a long time ago." 

"I see," Ito noted. "Well, if you ever do need to talk about something, I am willing to lend an ear. The young mistress back home says I am a very good listener." Looks like Mr. Butler isn't one for contractions. Weird. 

"I'll make a note of that," i said as I went to the last person- thank God. He was a brunet with short hair, tanned skin and brown eyes, wearing a blue muscle shirt and orange shorts with white running shoes and ankle socks. He gave a lazy wave to me as I introduced myself.

"The name's Osamu Fujitaka," he replied. "It's not really that big a deal but, I'm the Ultimate Track Star. S'up?"

**.........................................................**  
**Osamu Fujitaka- Ultimate Track Star**  
**.........................................................**

"Eh," I shrugged.

"That's cool," Osamu nodded. "I mean, yeah there's some stuff to worry about like the lack of phones and how we're the only ones here, but no need to worry, y'know?" 

 _Actually, that's plenty of reason to worry._ I internally snarked.

"Yeah, I'm certain," Osamu nodded, as though as if he came to a conclusion. "There's a perfectly logical explanation for all of this, we just gotta take things easy and it'll all work out. I'm certain." Yeah, keep telling yourself that while the rest of us in Reality try and figure out what's going on. 

"Alright, is everyone done with their self-introductions?" asked Nana, who looked very impatient. "We must get a move on and ascertain the situation we've found ourselves in."

"I've been keeping an eye on the door," said Asahi, pointing at the entrance where Hikari and I came through, "and nobody's come through since."

"Maybe we sixteen really are the only ones here..." mused Shoko. 

"Or the rest could be running late?" suggested Guy. 

"That doesn't seem likely," I said, with a negative nod. "We've been here for a while, and nobody's shown up."

"This is really starting to freak me out," Ichigo nervously said, biting her lip. I actually am starting to agree with her. This was getting too weird for my liking. 

"Hey, check this out," Goro said, pointing at the door, where to our surprise was a monitor and next to it was a video camera. 

"Holy schnikies!" Hikari cried. "How did we miss that!?" That's a good question, actually. 

"Surveillance equipment? Here?" asked Reika. "Is that really necessary?"

"We live in some messed up times," I said, scoffing on the inside at her inability to grasp the idea. "You never know what kind of wackos will do what."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with taking precautions," agreed Tetsuya. 

"Still kinda weird, though," Osamu shrugged.

"Is there anything we can do about it, though?" Kyohei asked. 

"Master Kyohei raises a point," Ito nodded. 

"Thanks, man," Kyohei said. "But don't call me "Master", too formal. Back to what I was saying though, we've got no idea what's going on, and have no clue as to what to do next."

"Actually, I have a suggestion," said Tetsuya. 

"The floor is yours," Nana conceded, as though as if her approval meant anything worthwhile.

"I say we should leave the deck for now and search the area for anyone or anything," he suggested. 

"S-Sorry to int-terrupt, but um, what if someone does show up and we're not around?" Hijiri asked. 

"The maybe one or two of us should stick behind," suggested Asahi. "I'll do it if nobody else will," he added, raising his hand. 

"I'll... stay as well..." Tsubaki volunteered. 

"We all sincerely thank you for your sacrifice!" Nana bowed. Speak for yourself, I really don't care if they stay or not. "Alright then, we'll check the surrounding areas and in an hour or so, we'll reconvene to share our findings. Is that acceptable to everyone?" We all agreed to Nana's suggestion. 

"Right, then let us get our moves on," Guy fist-pumped and speed-walked out the door. Everyone started to follow suit, myself included. As I walked to the door, I found somebody tugging my sleeve. I turned to see Hikari smiling widely at me, which I retaliated with a glare. 

"Do not. Touch me," I growled as I removed her hand from my sleeve. Little known fact about me: I cannot  _stand_  being touched. By anybody. Period. Not even by my parents. As somebody who values her personal space, it irritates me when people see fit to violate it. 

"Sorries!" she giggled. "So, Kumo, I was thinking..."

 _Already not a good sign,_  I thought.

"And I figure that we should investigate together!" she continued cheerfully. I scoffed. Like I said, I'm not into the "Friendship is Magic" bullcrap that so many try and spew. And I especially don't need it from the type of person Hikari falls under, the "I'm so happy and cheerful that I have to spread it to others where they want it or not!" type. I cannot tell you just how much those kinds of people annoy me, especially with how unbelievably  _fake_ they are. And this one was no different. 

"No," I bluntly said, trying to move on. 

Hikari looked genuinely surprised by my rejection; typical. Newsflash: Not everybody wants to be one big, happy family with you phonies! Some of us want to be left alone, thank you very much! "But, um, don't you want-"

"Don't assume you know what I want, you ignorant child," I scowled. Hikari's surprised look turned into a sad one, which surprised me. Usually, this was the part where they'd get nasty right back. 

"I, I see. Sorry..." Hikari slowly walked away and I felt a glare behind me. I briefly turned to see Asahi cross his arms and glare at me like a stern parent. Tsubaki was also seemingly annoyed. 

"She was just trying to be nice," he said, as though as if that would have any effect on me. "You didn't have to be so rude about it."

I scoffed. "Like I never heard that before." Typical fakers, quick to get all pissy when you try and get them off your back, especially when one of their own is attacked. I felt a pit grow in my stomach as I saw Hikari walk down the steps and tried to shake it off. I didn't care about her; I didn't care about any of them. Caring is just an empty concept and no one can truly emphasize with someone, so why bother?

Right now, my main priority is the check out this boat for any clues as to my situation, not to make nice with the fakers. So, ignoring my growing pit, I began my investigation. 


	2. Prologue, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's Part 2 of the Prologue! Thanks to anyone who even so much as checked this out and I Hope you enjoy this one, too!

I left the front deck, avoiding the looks that Asahi and Tsubaki were giving me. I walked down the steps in front of me and for the first time noticed that there was an intersection, with two pairs of staircases leading downward. There was a note next to the staircases, clarifying that the one to my right led to the "Dormitories", where I came from and the one on the left was "School." For a minute or two, I debated as to which place I'd visit first. I didn't want to stick around the Main Deck, it'd be boring and I get the feeling Asahi and Tsubaki wouldn't be much for conversation with me.

* * *

_Where should I go?:_  
_\- Dormitories_  
_\- School Area_  
_\- Back to Main Hall_  
**\- Dormitories-**

* * *

Ultimately, I ended up going with the dorms first, figuring that since it would likely be a smaller area, it'd be easier to cover the place. I walked down the steps and prepared myself to investigate.

The dorm area is really nothing special. It's a large-ish place with a bunch of doors going down either side. Each door had a nameplate of one of us students, along with weirdly enough an eight-bit picture of all of us. Like the Main Deck, there was a monitor by the steps and cameras nearby.  _Somebody's got money to spend,_  I quipped to myself.

"Not exactly the Ritz, is it?" asked somebody from behind me. I almost let out a surprised gasp, but I managed to control myself and turned my face into its default neutral scowl. I turned to see that it was Goro who walked up to me. He smiled.

"I mean, it's a dorm area. I don't think it needs to be so fancy," I said. I wouldn't be opposed to the idea, but I'm not really one for extravagant things. Practicality over style, that's my motto. And wow, that's a boring motto to live by, now that I think about it.

Goro shrugged. "Maybe not," he nonchalantly replied. His face then turned serious for a second. "Hey, so I was checking my room for my phone and no dice." That wasn't a good sign. Maybe I should check my own room while I'm here, just in case.

"Also, there's a key to your room on your nightstand, at least there was with mine," Goro continued. "Just wanted to give you the heads up."

"Thanks," I nodded. "I'll be sure to check it out."

"Anything for you, babe," he winked, making me shudder on the inside.

After walking away from Goro, I noticed that I was near my own room and remembered that it was unlocked from when I left this morning.  _Smart move, Yukimura,_  I internally scolded as I opened the door to my blue-and-gray bedroom. I saw how messy my bed was from when I left it, and I had to suppress my inner urge to fix it. I had bigger things to take care of. I took a look at my nightstand and sure enough, my room key was there, staring me in the eyes. Attached to the key was a little charm that had my name written on it, presumably in case somebody picks it up by accident and wants to return it. Fat chance, considering how greedy people are; they'd love to get a crack at seeing what my room had to offer, I bet. I pocketed the key and as I did saw (you guessed it) another camera/monitor hook-up. Now this was starting to creep me out, some pervert could be watching me while I slept or changed or who knows what else!?

Other than my bed and nightstand, there was a dresser set for my clothes, I'll be sure to put them away later. Speaking of stuff being away, I opened my bag where I had my phone in and searched for it, hoping that maybe it was still there. After a few minutes of thoroughly searching, I came up short.  _Dammit! This is_ **not** _good. Where could it have gone!?_  I kept thinking as I searched the rest of my room. There was a small closet on the end of my room, next to my bathroom. Nothing. There was a wastebin along with a weird empty magazine stand near my door, but nothing there either.  _Whoever's doing this is gonna get my foot so far up their ass..._  I think to myself as I brought my search to the bathroom.

I peeked into my bathroom and was relieved to see no camera (I guess even the people who brought us here have  _some_  decency). There was a shower and a toilet, as you'd expect. There was also the sink and the mirror I used to change. Creepily enough, the room was made in a mix of black and white tiling. Seeing that my phone wasn't inside the Tetris room from Hell, I left.

* * *

_Should I leave my room?:_  
_\- Yes_  
_\- No_  
**-Yes.-**

* * *

With my search having gone completely fruitless, I decided to leave my room. I noticed on the end of the area was a set of stairs leading downward still. As I walked towards them, I started counting the dorm rooms I saw overall... and ended at sixteen. The same number as the current amount of occupants... Shaking off my growing nervousness, I walked down the steps and saw a large dining area, with several tables of various sizes and lots of chairs. I noticed a kitchen in the back, I'll check that out in a bot. As I've started to come to expect, there was a camera and monitor near the entrance.

"Ah, Yukimura!" greeted Nana, who was nearby, alongside Ito. That last name thing might have to take some getting used to.

"How are you doing?" the butler asked me.

"Eh, I'm fine, I guess?" I said, trying to come off as nonchalant as possible. I'm not going to show any signs of being scared, especially not in front of the fakers. If they saw the stoic, sarcastic Yakumo in a state of unease, they'd never let me hear the end of it!

"I'm surprised that this area is so large," Nana noted.

"Keep in mind, Miss Nana, that we are possibly not the only passengers aboard this ship. What of the fellow teachers and students? And the crew of the ship?" That was a good argument, I had to admit.

"But there are only the sixteen rooms," Nana pointed out. "Your theory is not without merit, Aizawa, but I'm starting to not be so sure." As was that. Downside to being a debate team member since the seventh grade, you're prone to wanting to hear any and all arguments made.

"Yukimura!" Nana turned and shouted. You know, I always did wonder what it'd be like to be deaf... "Take note the schedule for meal times located by the door! This may not be a traditional school, but there is no excuse for missing out on a meal!"  _Because_ **clearly** _that's what's important_ , I almost spat at her.

"If you desire, Miss Yakumo," said Ito, "I can prepare something for you later. I have been told that my cooking is practically divine."

"I'll have to take you up on that some time, Aizawa!" Nana declared.

"Maybe later," I said, moving towards the kitchen. There I saw Ichigo, who was checking out the area. Figures that the Ultimate Baker would take notice of this area in particular. The kitchen was suitably big considering how large the dining area was and spacious enough to move around with little trouble. Like everywhere else, there was a camera and a monitor.  _Yeah, better watch out for those dastardly midnight snackers,_  I sarcastically thought.  _Who knows what they'll try to pull!?_

There was a pile of fresh fruits, vegetables, spices and the like nearby and one of those things you'd find in a deli or a supermarket where they keep the fresh meats and fishes and stuff. There was several cooking stations, for meats, desserts and the like, with an area for dishwashing nearby.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Ichigo noted. "I wonder how many people they have on hand for cooking?"

"As far as I can see? Zero," I snarked. Seriously, is there  _anybody_  else other than us sixteen teenagers on board here?

Ichigo deflated slightly. "Why is that? I mean, of all the places to not be occupied, why the kitchen? You'd think this place would have at least a maintenance guy or somebody."

"Yeah," I said.

"I might end up baking something later for everybody, do you have a particular sweet in mind?" Ichigo asked me. "I mean, don't expect anything  _really_  stand-out, but um,"

"I don't really care," I replied. "Make whatever." I just didn't want to hear her stammer about how "not that great" her skills are, not because I care. If you're that insecure even when told you're the best of your field, then you are just sad. Tetsuya may be playing mute about his, but I figure he at least is proud of his talent, whatever it is.

Deciding I had enough of this place, I left the dining area and went to continue my investigation elsewhere. I returned to the dorms and saw a hallway nearby the steps I took. I walked down them and arrived at a laundry area.

"Looks like we'll have to clean for ourselves," I noted aloud for some reason. Deciding to search the place, I found a set of washing machines and dryers, no prizes for guessing what they're for. Nearby the obligatory camera and monitor was a table and set of chairs, along with a set of magazines and... a vending machine? Weird.

There wasn't anything to note about and so I took my leave, kicking myself for wasting my time. I returned to the intersection.

* * *

_Where should I go?:_  
_\- School Area_  
_\- Main Deck_  
_\- Back to Dormitories_  
**\- School Area-**

* * *

The school area was huge, with several rooms to look through. I started with the one closest to me, which turned out to be an actual classroom. There were sixteen half desks in front a large teacher's desk that had a chalkboard behind it. On the chalkboard read in bright white chalk "Have a Beary Great Semester!" with chalk drawings of bears surrounding it. As always, there was a camera and monitor by the door, which Kyohei was taking note of. Looking through a window, which showed the nice, sunny outside, was Tetsuya. He looked over and noticed I was there.

"Hey," he greeted with a nod. "Found anything?"

"No, and that's what's bothering me," I answered. "How goes your search?"

"Same as yours, and everybody else's," Kyohei admitted. He turned his attention back to the camera. "Interesting type of surveillance equipment, never seen anything like it."

"I didn't realize that cameras and monitors were so high-tech in this day and age," I couldn't help but snark. This actually made Tetsuya laugh, which I'm not used to. I usually get scolded for making any kind of remark.

"Nice choice in colors, too," he added playfully. "Black and white, huh? Must've been super expensive."

"I wonder what'll happen if I tried taking them apart..." Kyohei wondered aloud.

"I wouldn't chance it," Tetsuya shook his head. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that you'd get into trouble."

Kyohei scoffed. "With whom? We've been searching for almost an hour and haven't found anybody. Besides,  _Ultimate Repairman_ , remember? If there's anyone who can put this back together, it's yours truly."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever floats with you," I mumbled, deciding that I had enough of this area.

* * *

_Should I leave this room?:_  
_\- Yes_  
_\- No_  
**-Yes-**

* * *

Seeing no other rooms nearby, I decided to walk down the corridor a bit, trying to see what I could find. As I walked around, I had a little encounter.

"Ah, if it isn't the Arguer," sneered Shoko.  _Really, that's the meanest thing you can come up with?_  I thought, more confused than anything with her choice of words.

"Look, Your Grace, I'm not in the mood for fighting," I bluntly told her. "I'm busy trying to look for some clues."

"As am I," she replied. "But alas, I am currently at a dead end. No, that would imply I've found anything."

"Join the club, tomorrow's our next meeting," I remarked, making Shoko roll her eyes.

After a bit, Shoko and I found something- a large pair of doors, colored black and white of course and tried opening them, only for them to be locked. Because of course, why not? Yuji was nearby, deep in thought about something. I ignored him and went to try and open the door, except...

"Locked?" I wondered.

"Yeah, I tried that earlier," said Yuji. "I'm not sure why, but it must be something important for them to lock this up."

"And of course, it's in that gaudy black-and-white color scheme," scoffed Shoko, as if that was the main problem here.

"What do you think's behind it?" I asked. I may not particularly care for either of them, but any speculation would be really helpful by now.

"Why don't you share with us?" Shoko asked. "I mean, isn't making smart observations all you ever do in your line of work?"

I rolled my eyes. "If I had any, I wouldn't bother asking you," I said.

"So what you're saying is that you don't have anything smart to say? Duly noted," Shoko smirked. Okay, I walked right into that one. Still, I let out a neutral glare, letting her know I wasn't amused with her.

"There's no point in speculation," Yuji negatively nodded. "The point of the matter is that the door is locked. Perhaps we can find a key for it?"

"You guys can," I said. "I'm gonna keep searching."

"Be safe," Yuji said as I departed while Shoko ignored me.

The next door opened to reveal another classroom, same setup as the other one. This time, the chalkboard read, "Paradise is Nowhere", which I'm not sure means anything. Checking the area was Reika as well as... Hikari... That pit from earlier started to return as I laid eyes on the cheerleader.

"I'm guessing there's nothing here as well," I said.

"Just about," Reika admitted. "This is quite peculiar. Whatever spirit responsible for this has done quite the thorough job in erasing any potential clues, as well as potential companions..."

_She's still on about that theory?_... No. I'm not gonna dignify that with further thought. Hesitantly, I turned to Hikari and debated on whether to speak to her or not. She seemed pretty sad when she left and probably didn't want to talk to me, at least not so quickly afterwards.

"Hey, can you give me a hand?" Hikari turned her head to ask me. I walked towards her to the closet and saw a box taped shut.

"What do you think's inside?" she asked me.

I studied the box for a moment. It didn't look particularly heavy, and looked like your ordinary cardboard box. What I was more concerned with was what it was doing  _here_ of all places. And just what was inside it? As I looked at the box, I started getting this weird feeling from it like there was something...  _off_  from it. Like, there was something inside that I didn't want to see.

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head from my thoughts. "Here, grab an end." We grabbed either end of the box and lifted it up, placing it on the teacher's desk.

"Be careful with that!" Reika warned us. "Heaven knows the dark spirit that resides in this! Angering it could lead to large consequences!"

"There's definitely  _something_ inside," Hikari noted. "You felt it too, right Yakumo?" Apparently, I've lost nickname privileges. That shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but... it does. Was she  _that_ put out by what I said? If so, then maybe she is as fake as I originally thought. Still, I responded in the affirmative.

"Before we return this to the main deck, I will have to examine this for myself," Reika said, pushing us aside. "To ensure that there is no harmful spirit inside. You're welcome to stay if you wish, but  _I_  will be handling the package alone."

Seeing my chance to escape, I took it. "Yeah, have fun with that," I said as I went to the door. I turned to Hikari and asked, "You staying, I guess?" She nodded.

"Imagine if there really is a ghost inside!" she chirped. That naivete is honestly precious. It must be great to live in ignorant bliss.

"I'd be scared out of my mind," I deadpanned.

* * *

_Should I leave this room?_  
_\- Yes._  
_\- No._  
**-Yes.-**

* * *

I walked down the area for a bit before coming across another room, this one much larger than the last couple. Next to the double doors was an eight-bit sign that had a pair of bandages in the shape of a cross. This had to have been an infirmary of sorts. I opened the doors and entered a sterile, plain white room with a row of beds. Nearby was a desk that had a locker behind it filled with various bandages and medicine. There was some life-support machines in the corner that weren't in use. I shuddered looking at them, hoping that there wouldn't be a time where they'd be needed.

I walked around the room for a bit and came across Hijiri and Guy, who had been investigating the room.

"Ah,  _ni hao,_ Yakumo," Guy greeted with a wave of his hand. "Did you know that means "hello" in Chinese?"

"No, not at all," I drawled. "Thanks so much for the free lesson."

"I-If you're looking for anything, um," Hijiri shyly said, "there isn't anything to report... Sorry."

I nodded, but walked around the room a bit more anyway. I had no plans of being in here any time soon, but it wouldn't hurt to try and familiarize myself with the place. There wasn't much else to report, though, looks like they were right. I made my way to the end of the room and after seeing nothing to make any note of, I moved back to Guy and Hijiri.

"So, I'm guessing this place was a dead end for any clues?" I asked.

"Несчастливо," Guy agreed. "Uh, that was Russian for-"

"Yeah, I get it," I shook my head. He didn't need to explain himself every time he said something foreign. It was getting annoying.

"N-No people, either," Hijiri added, fiddling with her glasses. "I'm scared... What's happening to us?"

"And why?" Guy asked, scratching his chin. I wished I could've provided an answer, but I was just as in the dark as they were. Seeing as I had no real reason to stay, I decided to bail.

* * *

_Should I leave the area?:_  
_\- Yes._  
_-No._  
**-Yes.-**

* * *

I exited the door and began walking down the corridor further, only to come to a flight of stairs leading downwards. Unfortunately, it was cut of by a metal gate.

"Yeah, no dice, Kumo," Osamu shrugged. I clenched a fist at the use of that asinine nickname, but stayed silent. He was leaning against the wall nearby. "looks like we're cut off from here."

"Do you wonder why?" I asked.

Osamu looked like he was contemplating something for a couple of moments. "Actually, I do have an idea. I've been thinking about it, and I've realized that there's only one possible conclusion."

I was actually interested in hearing this. Osamu didn't look like the hard-thinking type, but any speculation was good right about now. "Shoot," I said, giving him an encouraging nod.

"I think that... this is all just a punk!" Osamu smiled widely like an idiot, as though as if he found this all amusing. "The people in charge just want to test us "Ultimates" by pretending to be missing. He turned to the camera near us and laughed. "Nice prank, guys! Hahahahaha! You really got us! Right, Kumo? ... Kumo?"

I had already started walking away, not bothering to dignify I further word he said. He thinks this is a joke!? He had to have been scouted for his physical attributes, because he was a total moron! Even Hikari is starting to sound more intelligent than him!

I sighed as I slid down a wall. I searched the entire area and have nothing to show for it.  _What the heck's going on here?_ I questioned to myself.  _No adults, no crew, no other people aside us sixteen.. What's happening here and why?_

As I contemplated on what to do next,  _it_  happened. A noise that sounded like a school bell.  _Ding-Dong, Bing-Bong_ , it loudly went, startling me. Suddenly, the monitor turned on and a weird silhouette appeared on top of a static-like screen. Now I was even more curious.  _Was this somebody from the Ultimate Project?_  I wondered as they cleared their throat and in a high-pitched, almost cartoony, voice began to speak...

" **Ahem, *cough* *cough*... Attention, attention! Mic check, one, two! Can everyone hear me okay? Okay!** " said the silly voice that would soon haunt my every nightmare. " **Attention, all students! Please report to the Main Deck at your earliest convenience. It's time to begin the opening ceremonies! That is all, see you soon. Puhuhuhuhu..."**

I was dumbstruck for what felt like forever. The "opening ceremonies"... What did that mean? I felt my shoulder get tapped slightly and I was brought back to reality. I was about to snap at the person who had the big death wish when I saw it was Tetsuya, who didn't look like he was in the mood to hear my crap.

"Come on," he said as I got up from the floor. "No point in delaying things." I didn't say anything, but I agreed with him.

Eventually, all fourteen of us had returned to the Main Deck where Asahi and Tsubaki were. Nothing really changed from when we last were there. Reika was holding the box we found earlier.

"You guys find anything?" Asahi asked.

"Aside the box, no," Hikari shook her head.

"What do you think that announcement was about?" Ito inquired to no one in particular.

"Like I said, it's all part of the plan," Osamu laughed off. "We've got nothin' to worry about?"

"That is the biggest load I've ever heard!" I snapped. "What sick bastard would do something like this for kicks!?"

"Yukimura, watch your tone!" Nana scolded.

"She's got a point though," said Ichigo. "What would the point be in tricking us like this?"

Before we could contemplate any further,  _that voice_ , the one we all heard on the monitor just minutes ago, spoke. "Alrighty then! Is everybody here!? Good! Let's get it started in here!" It came from atop the ship, and before we could blink, it jumped off and did several flips in the air before landing on its feet. And what a sight  _it_  was...

What we saw was a teddy bear, essentially only with a very peculiar design. On its left side, it was colored white with a black buttoned eye and its side of the mouth being opened. On the right side, it was colored black with a long and jagged red eye that glowed brightly and its side of the mouth was full of teeth that looked very, very sharp. The oval-shaped lower-middle was white and had a protruded belly button. ALl in all, it looked very freaky.

"Okay, what the fuck am I looking at...?" asked Kyohei, whose eyes bugged out. I'm certain he wasn't the only one.

"You got me..." Yuji replied.

"So, is this still some kind of joke?" Shoko glared at Osamu.

"Uh, excuse me, but... what  _are_  you?" asked Ichigo to the bear. The bear chuckled.

"Thank you for asking, Ichigo!" he- I'm assuming it's a he, considering the pitch of the voice- exclaimed. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I... am... Monokuma!"

"A talking... teddy bear?" Tsubaki mused.

"Not a teddy bear!" Monokuma said, baring his teeth. " _Monokuma_! Mon-Oh-Kuu-Mah! Got that!?" Reluctantly, we did, not wanting to press on the subject.

"Okay then, Master Monokuma," Ito hesitantly began. "Can you explain to us just what is going on here?"

"Oooh, "Master", I like the ring of that..." the bear nodded as he tried out the title. "But as for your question, you should already know! We've got a ceremony to start!"

"That's the least of our concerns right now!" Hijiri cried, but it fell on deaf... ears?

"Now then, I'll start with the introductions. You all already introduced yourselves, so now it's my turn. I, Monokuma, am the Head of the Semester at Sea Program that you've signed up for!" This guy could not be for real. "I'll be leading you on your educational journey, so let's give me a nice bow to start things off!" Nana instinctively went to, but was stopped by Asahi.

"We'll work on that later," he brushed off with a stubby hand. "Now then, you sixteen youths, you "Ultimates", teens that are complete masters in your choice in fields, represent the Hope of the world! And as such, we will be keeping you inside the boat at all times, in order to prevent that dirty, dirty outside world from trying to corrupt you and your Hope!"

"But we were told we'd be visiting other places!" Hikari cried.

"Oh that?" Monokuma nonchalantly asked. "I lied. Sorry."

"So this was all a trick then? asked Yuji, who looked like he was trying to piece together something. "Some kind of ruse to get some unsuspecting teenagers and trap them in the middle of nowhere?"

"Kinda," the bear shrugged... somehow. "True, I may have tricked you, but it was all for a good cause! Bear's Honor!" He raised a hand up to try and emphasize his point.

"What kind of cause could be so "good" as to trap us here?" Reika asked, her hands on her hips. "Answer quick, you vile spirit, lest I exorcise you personally in the most slow and painful way I can!"

"I'm pretty sure that it's an AI," I deadpanned.

"Getting off-topic, a big no-no when in my class!" Monokuma said. "Now as to the method to my madness, I am simply trying to build a place full of pure Harmony!"

" _Armonia_?" Guy asked. "I don't follow."

"So let's all get along as much as we can for the duration of this program!" Monokuma cheered, ignoring him.

"Okay, fuck this noise," Goro shook his head. "I want out. This wasn't what I was signing up for!" A chorus of "yeahs" and the like followed him.

"A way out? But we've already departed the dock," Monokuma pointed out.

"I don't give a crap!" the guitarist scoffed. "Let us go, right now!"

"I agree," Shoko added. "Whomever is behind this farce, enough. Let us return home!"

Monokuma sighed. "You guys just don't get it do you? "Let us go! Let us go!" Don't you get that it's practically impossible for you? There's nowhere to go, you're in the middle of nowhere!" He slumped his head and sighed. A pause that lasted only a couple seconds, but felt much longer passed before he spoke up again. "But... if you really wanna leave..."

"We do!" Kyohei said.

"... there is one way..." Monokuma cryptically continued, leaving us in suspense.

"And just what is this "way" you speak of?" Nana asked, her nervousness visibly showing, and I couldn't blame her. I was pretty freaked out too.

"Are you sure you wanna know?" Monokuma asked. "Because I'm not sure you'll liiike it..." A chill went down my spine. I wanted to think he was just messing around, but the tone he was taking and the growing tension around us was telling me to accept the twisted reality before us.

"Will you just get on with it?" calmly demanded Tetsuya. How was he so cool in such a tense situation!? Is he a robot or something!?

"Alright, Buzz Killington," Monokuma deflated for a brief moment. "The only means of prematurely leaving the Semester at Sea is...  **murder**." That last word, which he spoke so casually, echoed into my head.

For what felt like forever, we all stood there in shock. Trapped in the middle of the sea, and the only way out... was to murder one of my classmates? It was all so surreal, feeling like a cruel dream... It made my skin crawl just thinking about it. "Murder." The action of taking another person's life... I may not have the highest opinion of these people, but  _killing them_? No, I couldn't...

Eventually, I gained the will to ask, "Wh-What was that you said just now?" I'm not sure why I said it, I guess I was just hoping that I somehow misheard. Right now, I was praying for Osamu's old theory to be correct, it sounded much better than this!

"I think he s-said... "murder"," pointed out Tsubaki.  _Not helping!_  I thought.

"You are correct, sir!" Monokuma announced, pointing at him. "Good old-fashioned genuine homicide! Strangling, stabbing, drowning, burning... Don't care how you do it, so long as you do it! Heh heh, "do it"..." He looked at us, all struck with horrified silence. "See, this is exactly what I was talking about not liking the option!"

"We didn't think it'd be something so... so..." Ichigo began before losing her nerve.

"So awful!" Hikari finished. "How can you do something this awful!?"

"Hey, come on now..." Monokuma condescendingly said. "I'm not  _making_  you kill anybody, y'know? Just giving you the way out you so desperately wanted. Why are you complaining?"

"Because it's  _killing people_!" cried Asahi. "How can you be so blase about that!?"

"Just what are you trying to pull with this anyway?" Yuji asked. "Why would you even offer such a horrible alternative?"

"Puhuhuhuhuhuhu..." chuckled the bear. "Well, since you asked so nicely, how can I refuse? You see kids, Mr. Monokuma is a bear of science. And like all scientists, I like to perform an experiment or two from time to time. And in this case, as I've said, I want to build a little patch of Harmony for you all. But, you know, what would happen if I were to instill some Discord, some  _Despair_ into it? How would you all react, I wonder...? Puhuhu..."

"That's it, I've had enough of this!" Goro growled as he marched forward until he was face to face with Monokuma, glaring down the animatronic. "I am not your goddamn test subject!" he roared, completely changed from his original nonchalance. He grabbed Monokuma by the neck and lifted him to his face. "You want a murder, Teddy!? Keep this shit up, and I'll give you the murder of your life!"

"Bwah!" Monokuma cried at Goro's roughness. "C-Come on, now, young man! V-Violence against your teacher is strictly prohibt-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Goro snapped, rushing Monokuma towards a wall, pinning him there with a large  _slam_. I have to admit, watching the little bastard squirm after all his talk was pretty nice to see and a part of me grew a bit of respect for Goro. Eventually, Monokuma stopped struggling and went silent.

"Heh, what's the matter, Tiny? Got no more smart remarks!?" Goro teased. Then, a beeping noise started to ring out, coming straight from Monokuma himself.

Tetsuya's eyes widened. "Goro, chuck the bear! It's gonna blow!" Goro's eyes widened. I too was a bit confused, but quickly put together what he meant.

"You gotta be shitting me!" he replied with some disbelief while still nervously looking at the still-beeping bear. When the beeping started getting faster, Goro turned and threw Monokuma off the deck with all his might. As it descended, the body exploded in a mess of wires, parts and gunpowder. I felt a strong ringing in my ear from the explosion and felt a bit disoriented from the whole thing.

"H-Holy crap..." Goro dumbly said as he looked at his hands. "Th-That could've..." He didn't need to elaborate, we all knew what he was trying to say.

"Is... is it dead?" Tsubaki asked after a minute or so of eerie silence.

"Sorry to disappoint!" said Monokuma- wait, what!? I turned to the top of the ship where Monokuma initially descended from a few minutes ago.

"I knew it!" Reika cried. "It  _is_ a spirit!"

"Close, but no exploding cigar, my dear," the bear shook his head. He then descended the same way he did last time, right in front of us dumbfounded teens. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I saw him explode just now- we all did!

"There's plenty more Monokumas from where that sexy beast came from, may he rest in peace," he continued, briefly lowering his head in a sign of respect for his fallen... self. This wasn't what I expected to see today. He turned to the now-terrified Goro. "Now, I'll let you off with a warning, but in the future please follow the rules clearly. Because while corporal punishment is largely frowned upon these days, I'm more than willing to see it through, if you catch my drift."

"You were gonna kill me.." Goro weakly said.

"And what were you gonna do, give me an old-fashioned?" Monokuma snarked. "Not with those hands, buster!" He turned to face us all, and in that very moment, I had never been more terrified. It sounds so ridiculous when put into words, but that teddy bear really meant everything he said and seeing how willing he was to follow through his words, I couldn't help but be afraid.

"Now that I have your complete attention, let's move on!" said Monokuma. "Now, you see that box you got there, Reika? The cardboard one, that is."

Reika's face went aflame. "P-Pervert! Do not speak such vulgarity so freely!"

"Yes, we have it, what's your point?" Hikari cut in, opening the box to reveal what was inside. "It's just a bunch of iPads." Sure enough, she was correct. Sixteen iPads were sitting neatly inside, all turned off. Monokuma jumped to the box, and stood on the electronics.

"These are your MonoPads," he explained. "They will be your key to your school life. Inside is a map of the S.S. Kuma, our lovely ship-"

"Isn't "S.S." meant for  _American_  ships?" Guy interjected.

"... the various rules and regulations that you will need to follow," Monokuma continued, pausing to glare at Goro. "and much, much more." He tossed the various MonoPads and told us to turn them on, saying that our name would appear when it started up. "Be sure you have the right one, okay?" he reminded us.

Sure enough, I turned on my MonoPad and in bright white letters was "Yakumo Yukimura" across the screen. I looked at the back of the device and of course it was colored black-and-white. I'm wondering if there's a pattern here, and excuse me while I try and stop choking on all my sarcasm.

"And that should be it!" Monokuma declared all of the sudden. "Please do your very best to follow all the rules I've laid out for you and do your best to live a safe and wholesome, if not terribly long, school life! See ya laater!" Before we could do anything, Monokuma jumped back to his initial location and disappeared.

For the longest time, we all just stood there. This was all too much to take in. To stay trapped in this boat for what might be forever for all I know... or kill one of my classmates and escape, leaving them behind. I felt so sick from thinking about it. I turned from my MonoPad and looked at the others... and they looked just as afraid as I was. These kids that I deemed "fakers" were at the end of the day, people just like me and were just as scared as I was.

"So, what now?" Tetsuya asked, breaking the silence.

"I.. I don't know..." Ito admitted. "What can we do in this situation?"

"Nobody's really taking this serious, right? asked Ichigo. "Y'know, the whole "killing" thing?"

"It sounds pretty serious, but then I might be a little biased," Goro muttered.

"This can't be real life, but it certainly isn't just some fantasy, either," Reika disbelievingly said.

Just then, a cruel chuckle rang out. We all turned to its owner, Shoko.

"Just what's so funny, Ryugami!?" Nana demanded. "I fail to see the humor here!"

"Yeah, what the Hell?" added Asahi.

Shoko let out a bitter smile. "Don't you see it? You lot cannot be so ignorant, truly? The issue isn't whether to take this seriously or not... Rather, what we should be worrying about...

"... it should be if anyone is actually thinking of taking the bait."

And in that moment, everyone slowly looked at each other wearily, Shoko's words echoing in our minds. It then occurred to me that while  _I_  might have no interest in taking a life, the same couldn't be said for the others. I couldn't really trust anyone here... how would I be able to tell if they'd stab me in the back or not? What was I going to do? ... What  _could_  I do...? I wondered to myself as my eyes darted to every one of my alleged "classmates". I was so out of my depth and had no idea how I'd be able to handle it... or myself, for that matter...

And so... this is how life as I knew it came to a horrific end.

How a life that while bitter and drab was still held on by a tenuous Harmony...

replaced by one of pure nightmarish Discord...

* * *

**...**   
**Prologue- Setting Sail for Ultimate Despair**   
**[THE END]**

**Students Remaining: 16**

**To Be Continued...**   
**...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the Prologue! A bit on the short side, but I dislike dragging things out, and there really isn't much to add in terms of these anyway.
> 
> How was my first time writing for Monokuma in a more traditional setting? I could use the feedback. Speaking of which...
> 
> As always tell me what you liked/didn't like and don't forget to fav and that jazz!
> 
> Until next time, ja ne! See ya later!  
> \- Brian


	3. Chapter 1- Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It returns! This one's a bit short, but I hope you'll like it anyway. ☺️

For the longest time, we all just stood there, stood in a mixture of horror, shock, fear, among other emotions. I looked around nervously amongst my fifteen classmates, remembering the words I had just heard...  
  
 _"The only means of prematurely leaving the Semester at Sea is... **murder**_ _."_    
  
Monokuma's words echoed through my head as I studied everybody, fearing what would happen. Everyone else was silently doing the same thing, wondering who would be the one to speak up, to do anything really. This would normally be the part where I would be annoyed with their cowardice, but in this case? Yeah, I'm as yellow-bellied as the rest of them, so I have no room to talk. Still, as I awaited for the silence to be broken, I thought back to the last thing said just minutes ago...  
  
 _Shoko let out a bitter smile. "Don't you see it? You lot cannot be so ignorant, truly? The issue isn't whether to take this seriously or not... Rather, what we should be worrying about..._  
  
"... it should be if anyone is actually thinking of taking the bait."  
  
Much as I hated to admit it, Shoko was right. I only just met these people, I have no way of understanding what or how they're all feeling right now. And from what I know about human nature, "random strangers" plus "stranded in the middle of nowhere, cut off from the outside world" does not equal actual math but does equal "potentially dead Yakumo", an answer I'm not particularly fond of, if I'm being honest.   
  
In the silence I pondered just what I would do in this situation. Could I really see myself taking the life of another human being? Is there a way to get out of here without doing that? If I did, could I be able to look anyone back home in the eye, knowing what I did to get back to them? Would they even want me back? These questions among others were what went through my mind at the time.   
  
But that's how it always happens isn't it? The eerie silence that comes before the storm, that might be the worst part. Because it's in those small moments that the despair sinks in the furthest and creates that loathsome discord...  
  


**................................................................**   
**Chapter 1- Brothers Under a Twisted Sun**   
**.................................................................**

After what felt like forever, a voice finally cut through the tension and I silently let out a breath that I had no idea I was holding until then. 

"So, where do we go from here?" asked that person, who turned out to be Hikari. She was nervously pulling on one of her ponytails and her eyes were darting around the group. For once, I actually get where she's coming from. 

"With all due respect Miss Hikari, how does one really respond to what we have just witnessed?" Ito asked back. Took the words right out of my mouth. 

"Come on, let's talk about this," Asahi meekly suggested. "If we get it out in the open, maybe this tension'll evaporate?"

"I doubt that highly," Shoko drawled. 

"Right!" Nana shook her head. "Endo reminded me of what we planned to do prior to the bear's arrival. Thank you for that!". 

"Glad to help!" Asahi smiled. 

"Is this really the time?" Hijiri quietly asked. 

"I agree," nodded Tsubaki. "Given our... situation and all..."

Tetsuya shook his head. "We'll cross that road when it comes our way." That nonchalant attitude of his was starting to get under my skin. 

"I concur," added Yuji. "Worrying about who among us is a murderer is exactly what Monokuma wants. Therefore, in order to avoid fanning any and all flames, let us banish these thoughts from our minds." 

"Easier said than done, bro," Goro muttered. 

"First order of business," Nana declared, "we should open our MonoPads and check out these rules that Monokuma has laid out for us. It's clear that he has the ability to enforce them so therefore I suggest we read them thoroughly in order to avoid any complications." 

"Sounds fair to me," Ichigo said.

We all turned on our MonoPads. There wasn't much there, just a couple of apps. The first was labeled " **Profiles** " which had some basic information about myself as well as my classmates. Second was " **Rules** ", which is self-explanatory enough. Next there was one that displayed a map of the boat, presumably in case we got lost as well as one that turned out to be a camera function. But what confused me was the last app, which was just a picture of a bullet and labeled " **???** ". When I tried pressing it, I got a message saying it was restricted. Okay, then what is the point in having it if you're not going to allow me to use it? Stupid bear. 

"Alright then," Nana said, grabbing my attention. "I will now read the rules aloud. Rule Number One- At their own discretion, students are allowed to explore the campus with minimal restrictions."

"So we're allowed to do whatever then?" Kyohei asked to nobody in particular. 

"At least we don't have to worry about classes on top of all this," Osamu laughed. I rolled my eyes at his pitiful attempt at humor.

"Rule Number Two," Nana continued, "Leaving the campus area without explicit permission is prohibited with zero exceptions." Darn, there goes my idea of just asking really nicely and hoping I'd appeal to the murderous kidnapper's humanity. 

"Because we have so many ways to escape as is," dryly remarked Reika. 

"Rule Number Three- The time frame of 10PM to 7 AM is referred to as "Night Time". During these hours, certain sections of the school will be inaccessible. Students are free to explore the campus during Night Time but are to proceed with caution." Nana frowned at this and then looked up from her MonoPad to address us. 

"Before we continue, I would like to suggest something," she said. 

"Lay it on us," Tetsuya shrugged. 

"Hold on, I think I know what you're about to say," Shoko interrupted. "You're going to suggest that we refrain from spending time outside during night hours."

"Astute observation, Ryugami," the prefect nodded. "I believe that instituting this curfew would be beneficial to us. Should we stay outside, we run the risk of growing paranoid that one of us will attempt something drastic. If we all stay in out rooms at this time, then we'd know where everyone is and thus have slightly less to worry about."

"But there's no way to know for sure that everyone will follow this," I pointed out. Having an honor system with a bunch of strangers seemed like a recipe for disaster in my eyes. 

"I'll do it," Tetsuya said immediately after. It's like he's _trying_  to piss me off. Before I knew it, everyone- even Shoko!- voiced their approval. I then felt their gazes directed at me and felt a shiver down my spine.

"Well, Yukimura?" Nana impatiently asked. 

"Just do it, Yakumo," whisper-pleaded Hikari. I rolled my eyes, bit back my urge to give everyone the finger and said "yes" to the suggestion. 

"There, that wasn't so hard was it?" Nana smugly asked.  _Bite me._  
  
"Now, Rule Number Four," continued the prefect, "Violence against Mr. Monokuma is prohibited, as is destruction of the surveillance equipment and other school property." Nana gave Goro and Kyohei a lingering look. 

"Hey, why am I getting the stink-eye?" complained the repairman.  

"Didn't you mention something about taking apart the cameras to see how they ticked?" Tetsuya pointed out. Kyohei scoffed but said nothing else. 

"And now for Rule Number Five," Nana grimly said and just from her tone I could tell what she was about to say. "In order to leave the program, one must complete the graduation requirement- Commit a murder and successfully get away with it." 

Silence overtook us after hearing that. We all heard what Monokuma said just minutes ago, but to see it before our very eyes, clear as day... it drove home the reality of our situation clearer than any speech. Once again, I couldn't help but look around at my classmates, wondering who amongst them might be capable of doing the deed...

Nana cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Alright then, moving on. Rule Number Six- Failure to comply with the rules will result in a  **punishment**  of Mr. Monokuma's choosing." 

"And something tells me he's not going to make us write essays on how sorry we are," remarked Asahi. 

"All the more reason to... follow the rules..." Tsubaki nodded. 

"Just one more to go, classmates. Rule Number Seven- If necessary, additional regulations may be added."

"He can just make up more rules!?" Ichigo cried. "How is that fair!?" 

"I'm sorry, exactly what part of any of this is "fair" to you?" I blew up. "In case you haven't noticed, we're trapped in the middle of nowhere, cut off from our friends and families and the rest of the outside world! We're being held hostage by a psychotic toy and are being shanghaied into killing if we wanna go home! And if we don't do what he says, then we'retrapped here forever if he just doesn't decide to kill us himself! And you care about fairness? How fucking stupid can you be!?" 

"Alright, that's enough!" Asahi angrily said as he and Yuji grabbed and restrained me. I could see the scared look in Ichigo's eyes and while a part of me felt bad for taking my frustrations out on her, the rest reminded me that she was just some random stranger that could potentially kill me should she grow desperate enough. 

"Yukimura, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Nana scolded, earning a middle finger in response. 

"We get you're stressed, we all are!" Tetsuya glared. "But don't bring that at us! She didn't do anything to you!"

"Oh fucking spare me," I spat, no longer caring if I was making an ass of myself.  _Nobody_  talked down to me like that. Especially some phonies with fancy titles given to them for arbitrary reasons! 

Suddenly, a felt a pinch ony neck and things started to get dark. As my vision blurred,my hearing went with it. The last thing I remember, I heard a voice vaugely resembling Yuji's apologizing for something. 

And then...my world went black. 

**..............**

As Yakumo's body went limp, Asahi gently placed her on the ground, making sure she was okay. Even with how she had just behaived, he didn't want to see her get hurt. Afterwards, he and the rest turned to Yuji, who gave an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry you all had to see that, but I believe it was for her own good as much as ours," he explained. "Perhaps some sleep will allow her to relax a little."

"Or maybe a surgery to remove the stick from her ass," Goro said. 

"Sorry for being so forward but um, what are we going to do now?" Hijiri asked, fiddling with her glasses. 

"I was going to suggest that we converse with each other about out investigation, but it would be unfair if Yukimura was not here to give her own input," Nana replied.

"Because she hasn't done enough of that already," Osamu joked."

"It'd be such a shame if we didn't get her two cents on why everything is horrible," Shoko added with a cruel grin. 

Hikari frowned. "Alright, you made your point. Now lay off." Even if the girl had been rude to her, she wouldn't sink to that level in return. That wasn't the kind of person she was. 

"Speaking of which, someone should take Sleeping Beauty to her room," piped up Tetsuya. "We can't leave her out here..." 

"Do we  _have to?"_ Shoko asked. When no one else spoke up, Hikari rolled her eyes and lifted the debater up. 

"Nice to see what  _great_ classmates you all are," she scolded. Most of the group had the decency to look down in shame. 

"Here, Miss Kuromine, let me help," spoke up Ito, picking up Yakumo's arm. 

"While you're taking care of her, the rest of us will continue exploring the area," said Nana. "Once Yukimura has awakened, we'll convine in the dining hall to discuss our findings." Hikari nodded, showing she understood. 

At that, the students dispersed, some going in groups and others as individuals. As Hikari and Ito took Yakumo to her dorm, they both have awary look at each other, the recent events still on their minds. 

_In order to leave the program, one must complete the graduation requirement\- Commit a murder and _ _successfully get away with it.  
_  
Hikari liked to think of herself as pretty trusting, as did Ito. But at the same time, neither could deny the situation they were in might cause some complications down the road. 

Hikari shook these thoughts out of her head. Paranoia would do her no good, nor anybody else. For now, all she could do is place her faith, her trust in everyone else. 

Ito meanwhile contemplated long and hard just how troublesome his situation was for him. Could he see himself kill his new classmates? And what did Monokuma mean by not getting caught? There were cameras all over the boat, there was no way he'd be able to get away even if he wanted to kill. 

At least, that's what he thought at the time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that wraps up Part 1 of Chapter 1! P short I know, but I felt this section needed it's own chapter if that makes sense. 
> 
> I'm really sorry if this comes off as rude or clingy but please please please drop a review if you can. I'd really like to know what I'm doing right/wrong since this is my first real Killing Game fic. 
> 
> I'm doing the Report Cards for the cast and hope to have... (Sees figure approaching) One second. (grabs broom)
> 
> Get you! (beats Nagito) 
> 
> Nagito: But you said- Ow!
> 
> Get, I said!
> 
> (Nagito leaves)
> 
> Anyway, Report Cards will be up on my Deviantart page soonish. And before I sign off, here's a recap of the rules:
> 
> 1) At their own discretion, students are allowed to explore the campus with minimal restrictions.
> 
> 2) Leaving the campus area without explicit permission is prohibited with zero exceptions.
> 
> 3) The time frame of 10PM to 7 AM is referred to as "Night Time". During these hours, certain sections of the school will be inaccessible. Students are free to explore the campus during Night Time but are to proceed with caution.
> 
> 4) Violence against Mr. Monokuma is prohibited, as is destruction of the surveillance equipment and other school property.
> 
> 5) In order to leave the program, one must complete the graduation requirement- Commit a murder and successfully get away with it.
> 
> 6) Failure to comply with the rules will result in a punishment of Mr. Monokuma's choosing.
> 
> 7) If necessary, additional regulations may be added.
> 
> And that's it for now! As always, tell me what you liked/didn't like and as a bonus, I'm allowing any commenters to vote on who they want to see for Free Time Events for Chapter 1. I'll let you know when the cutoff date is. 
> 
> Till next time, ja ne and have a beauuuutiful day!
> 
> \- Brian

**Author's Note:**

> And so it begins! The sixteen Ultimate Students have arrived on their cruise and set out to figure out just what's going on here. 
> 
> arrived on their cruise and set out to figure out just what's going on here. 
> 
> I get that this was a short chapter, mostly just introductions, but I swear as the story goes on, they'll get longer. Next time for sure will have more interactions as we explore the ship. 
> 
> As this is a type of story I'm radically unfamiliar with writing for, any and all criticism is not only welcomed, but encouraged. I really have a lot of ideas for this, and it would mean a lot if you gave me some ideas/tips as to what I could do better. All I ask in return is that you don't be a dick about it to me or the other commentators. Courtesy on the Internet is nowhere near the foreign concept it's oft made out to be. You're welcome to speculate on any twists/plot developments, but be warned that I'll probably not comment on your predictions for fear of spoilers. 
> 
> This story can also be found on my Fanfiction.net and deviantART accounts, if you're interested. Also, be warned that updates for this one will be particularly slow as I have a lot of stuff to do with both my other fics/real life and I want to give you guys the best I can come up with. 
> 
> And that's all for this one. As with all my other stuff, please tell me what you liked or didn't like; don't be afraid to be detailed as I love reading what you have to say, even if it's just "you suck".


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